"LeBron James stopped answering my phone": Dwyane Wade finally addresses the famous 'acting' as he spills more details on Lakers star's major decision

Back in July 2010, the NBA world was shaken to its very core. LeBron James went from hero to villain after orchestrating an actual ESPN special to announce his free-agency decision in a never-before-seen show.

After months of speculation and days of meetings, James revealed that he was 'going to take his talents to South Beach' to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Wade already knew that was going to be the case, but even he looked surprised at the time. Of course, in hindsight, it seemed like he was acting when he was anxiously watching 'The Decision.'

In Sunday's episode of "Trophy Room from NBA All-Star 2025" with WNBA legend Candace Parker, he finally revealed why. Apparently, he was worried about James backing down from their agreement:

"I'mma tell you why I was 'acting.' So, I knew on July 4," Wade said. "We all got on the phone, and we all decided that we were going to do this. So, Chris and I signed (on) July 7, and LeBron's gonna sign (on) July 8. So, I know this, but I was a little shook 'cause LeBron stopped answering his phone after July 4. Didn't hear from the man." [21:59]

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Kobe Bryant made LeBron James and Dwyane Wade team up

This isn't the first time Wade has shed light on what happened there. In September 2023, he revealed that the idea of creating a Big 3 in Miami came after Kobe Bryant won his fifth NBA championship, which was also his second in a row:

"LeBron, so what you gonna do?" Wade asked him. "Kobe winning all these rings, now he got 5."

Bryant was the most dominant player in the NBA, and he had led the LA Lakers to three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. James, on the other hand, had yet to win his first NBA championship, and the criticism was getting out of hand. Kobe's dominance made the best players in the league join forces to do something about it.

Needless to say, Cleveland fans resented LeBron James' decision to team up with Wade and Bosh, and, to this day, some fans still criticize him for that. However, this decision paved the way for a new era in NBA basketball, with LeBron James reaching the Finals eight years in a row.